The Raven
by Kate-The-Great-And-Powerful
Summary: Shortly after losing the love of his life, a sleep-deprived man tries to banish a mysterious raven from his home. A short story based on Edgar Allan Poe's "The Raven". (Will possibly be expanded to include The Tell-Tale Heart)


**Okay, this is my first attempt at writing a non-Hunger Games fanfiction. I've always really loved Edgar Allan Poe and his stories, so I'll be adapting the poem, "The Raven", turning it into a short story. Please leave reviews to tell me how I did? :) Hope you enjoy!**

_The Raven_

The flip of a page cuts through the silence like a knife. I try to absorb myself in the novel, but my mind is nearly as exhausted as my body. All those sleepless nights kneeling next to her bed as she fought the fever in her sleep. To wake up one morning and find her absolutely still under the sheets, cold and lifeless as the rain pouring outside.

I try to push the thought of her from my mind, try to find comfort in my books as I always do. I feel my head fall forward slightly, giving in to my fatigue. I can't sleep. My head snaps back up. I won't. Not after my resting cost Lenore her life.

It was early December then. Clouds overtook the sky, making everything below seem bleak and colorless. Lenore was not yet a week dead, the day I realized my love was gone forever. Realized just how long forever would last. That day a depression had descended upon me. One yet to be lifted. I buried myself in my books, willing the nights to pass quicker. Promising myself I'd forget about Lenore. Kind, beautiful Lenore. As you can see, it was a promise made in vain.

_Bong! Bong! Bong!_ The clock begins to toll. I drop my novel atop the stack of books by my chair. Recently, it's become a disorganized heap, reflecting my state of mind most midnights. I choose a new one at random and open the cover, smoothing out the first page under my fingertips. Chapter One.

_Tap, tap, tap._ My eyes fly open. I find myself still staring at the very first page of my book. I wasn't sleeping. Just…Just resting my eyes.

_Tap, tap, tap._ The sound is soft, barely audible, but enough to put me on edge. I push my glasses up the bridge of my nose and scan the room for the source of the tapping.

_Tap, tap, tap._ It's gotten a little louder. It sounds almost as if someone were rapping at my door. Yes, I tell myself. That's exactly what it is! Just a visitor knocking at my chamber door.

"Just a visitor," I assure myself.

_Tap, tap, tap_. Every noise stands out. The splattering of rain against the window panes, the soft crackling of the last glowing embers in the fireplace. Even the quiet rustling of the silk curtains. It fills me with a kind of excitement.

"Just a visitor," I repeat. A visitor who will likely be disturbed by the manic grin on my face. I get up from my chair, repeating the line in my head until I've summoned enough courage to call out to them.

"Sir, or madam, forgive me! You see, you knocked while I was napping. You tapped so faintly at my door that I couldn't be sure I had heard you." I open the door, my manic smile replaced with a welcoming one that greets only darkness.

The smile falls from my face. I shake my head. I must really be losing my mind if I answer a door no one's waiting at, if I call out to people who aren't really there. It's like…It's like writing a letter to Lenore.

"Lenore?" Her name slips out of my mouth before I can stop it. Could she be tapping on my chamber door?

No. Lenore is dead. Two months dead. Two months dead today.

"Lenore!" Only an echo returns to me. I shut the door tightly and turn back to my chair, prepared to continue my reading. _Impossible_. The word stabs at the back of my mind. _It's impossible_.

I've only just opened my novel again when I hear it, louder and more urgent than before.

_Tap, tap, tap._ I have an explanation ready. A real one; a logical one. Not the fantasy I'd dreamed up in my weak, sleep-deprived state.

"Surely it's just something by the window," I murmur to myself, "A tree, perhaps. Or the wind." I can hear my heart pounding in my chest as I cross over to the window.

I fling open the shutters and peer out into the storm. The rain stings my eyes as I search for the source of the tapping. Nothing. The wind may screech and howl, the trees may swish and rustle, the rain may drip and splash. But nothing taps.

Suddenly, with a flutter of wings, a jet-black bird flies through the window, probably seeking refuge from the storm. The creature comes to perch atop my bust of Pallas, just over my chamber door. A raven. How appropriate.

To my surprise, I start to smile. The raven looks almost human, sitting straight and tall with a stern expression, one a judge might give you in court, if your fate rests in his hands. I walk to the door, looking up at the bird from the ground.

"Now, surely you are no commonplace raven," I tell it. Or course, no ordinary bird would be out in such a storm. "Tell me, what is your name?"

"Nevermore." I shake my head, scolding myself for not getting enough rest. A bird who can talk. Surely my mind has begun to play tricks on me. Or this creature aims to drive me mad. Why else would such an evil beast be perched upon my sculpture? An evil beast named 'Nevermore'.

"Other birds have flown into my chamber," I mutter to the bird, "But they all have left."

"Nevermore." The raven stands as still as the statue it rests on. Surely 'nevermore' is the only word this creature can pronounce.

"Likely, you had a master once," I tell it, "Maybe he lost someone, as I have. Perhaps that is the reason that he repeated this word. And so often, it seems, that you have learned it, too." Still grinning, I wheel over a cushioned seat so that I can sit in front of the sinister bird. I think to myself, watching the raven tidy its ebony feathers. When it finishes, it turns to stare at me. The lamp-light reflects in the bird's eyes, giving them an eerie glow. I turn away, lying back in my chair. I think of the cushion's velvet lining. The velvet lining that Lenore will press…_nevermore_.

My mood darkens immediately. The raven. Surely it was sent down from the heavens to remind me of my lost love.

"Wretch," I spit, scowling at the bird, "Why were you sent to my chamber? To punish me for my heedlessness? All I want is to be at peace! Is there not something in this world that can help me leave my memories behind? To forget this lost Lenore?!"

"Nevermore."

"Prophet!" I cry, "Thing of evil! Whether sent to me from heaven or hell, or even brought in by the storm! Tell me, if you know I'll never forget. Will there be relief?!"

"Nevermore."

"You _are_ a prophet!" I scoff, vexed by the bird's collected expression. "Tell me, truly, then! Will I ever see my Lenore again, in this life or the next?"

"Nevermore."

"GET OUT!" I shriek. The bird starts, feathers ruffling in annoyance. "Don't leave behind a single feather! Fly back to where you came from, and leave me to mourn!"

"Nevermore." The raven sits still, staring at me thoughtfully through evil obsidian eyes. The lamplight casts his dark shadow over me, trapping me. My soul will never rise to heaven. I will never again be with my love so long as the raven persists.

Never, nevermore.

**I appreciate reviews, even criticism if it will help me become a better writer, but no flames please! It may not be as mysterious and dark as it was in the poem, but I tried my best XD It's just the abridged version, you have to read the real poem to get the full effect.**

**If I get enough positive feedback, next I'll do something about (my personal favorite) The Tell-Tale Heart!**


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